Odyssey of the Seas has departed the port of Limassol, Cyprus today and is heading back to its homeport Haifa, Israel where the crew will receive the first dose of the vaccine against Covid-19. According to our source, the captain made an announcement on the ship’s PA system that the port agent confirmed the crew vaccination for tomorrow May, 7. Odyssey of the Seas crew will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, our source said.

Today the crew welcomed the new master of the vessel, Captain Sindre Borsheim who was at the helm of Quantum of the Seas, the first Royal Caribbean International ship to restart cruises from Singapore.

“As mentioned during today's PA announcement I had the great honor of taking command of this magnificent vessel today from Captain Per, who will be heading towards a well deserved vacation," said Captain Sindre Borsheim.

Starting June 2, 2021 Odyssey of the Seas will set sail from the port of Haifa, offering 3- to 7-night cruises exclusively to Israeli residents. In conjunction with Israel’s health and tourism authorities, Royal Caribbean will offer fully vaccinated sailings, where both crew and guests above the age of 16 will be vaccinated against COVID-19. The roundtrip cruises from Haifa, Israel, will include visits to idyllic isles and destinations in the Mediterranean, including Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos and Athens, Greece and Limassol, Cyprus. In November Odyssey will cross the Atlantic and start its inaugural North American season, with 6- to 8-night voyages from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean.